Back to School

Abraham Lincoln may have learned Latin by scribbling on tree bark by candlelight, but for today’s wired school children not even the venerable pencil and note pad will suffice. For the modern family contemplating another year’s worth of assignments, school trips, and the complexities of after school scheduling, these are the top five must-have back to school gadgets that will make the school year a little more manageable.

5. USB Drive: If your child is shuffling between multiple computers – at school, at the library, at home – it makes sense to keep their data portable as well. A USB drive will store your homework and any other digital files that junior wants to transport.

Verbatim’s new Tough ‘N’ Tiny drives are small enough to clip onto a keychain yet pack enough memory to hold thousands of photos, hundreds of thousands of documents and (legally acquired!) digital music. Plug them into a Windows Vista PC or notebook and the drives will double as extra processing memory. They’re available in 2GB, 4GB and 8GB capacities for $15, $29 and $49, respectively.

If you’re looking for more functionality from your drive, consider Sandisk’s Ultra Backup. The drive is loaded with software that will automatically scan your hard drive for music, photos, documents, presentations and other important data (PC only). You can configure the drive to scan specific folders or have it scour the entire computer. Whenever you reconnect the drive, you can press the “backup” button and have it create copies of your critical data.

The other nice thing about the Ultra Backup is its U3 operating system. If you connect the drive to a computer, you can browse the web, open emails, conduct IM chats, without ever leaving a trace of your activity on the host computer. The history of your session at the computer is vanishes the minute you remove the drive. Ultra Backup drives are available in capacities from 8GB to 64GB with prices starting at $49.

4. Voice recorder: Aspiring journalists, diligent students, and pod-casting web stars all need a good voice recorder.

Olympus has a pair of new recorders – the $199 DM-520 and $149 DM-420 – with 4GB and 2GB of internal memory, respectively. Both have microSD card slots for extending recording time. In addition to recording audio at 44.1 kilohertz (kHz) (equivalent in quality to what you’ll hear on a CD), the recorders can play back digital audio files (PCM, WAV and MP3). You’ll enjoy 51 hours of recording time on a pair of rechargeable AAA batteries.

3. All-in-one Printer: With assignments to print, permission slips to copy, photo collages to scan, an all-in-one printer is a must.

The Epsons Stylus NX515 ($149) packs plenty of powerful features in a budget-friendly package. With built-in WiFi, you can print wirelessly from any room in the house. I can speak from experience that, in the interest of family harmony, built-in wireless is quite useful indeed. You’ll also enjoy print speeds of 15 pages per minute (ppm), memory card slots and a 2400 dpi scanner. A 2.5-inch color LCD helps you navigate through printing, copying and scanning without a PC.  It uses four individual ink tanks, so you can swap out only the ones you’re done with.

2. Mobile Phone: Many grade schools are cracking down on cell phones in the class room. And while it’s true they can be distracting, they’re also a vital communication tool when used properly. But skip the iPhone or Blackberry - you may as well hand over your credit card with all the minutes they’ll burn through (not to mention texts, web browsing, game purchases, etc.). Fortunately, there are a few options that won’t break the bank.

The first is to go for a phone specifically designed for kids, like the glowPhone ($49) from Firefly Mobile. It has dedicated keys for dialing parents (one for mom and one for dad). It has built-in games, which I’d prefer it didn’t, but it does have PIN-access that lets parents program the phone to their wishes. You can pair it with a prepaid or monthly calling plan from Firefly.

The major carriers have fallen out of love with kid-centric phones, preferring instead to sell traditional cell phones with a suite of parent controls that lets you control how the phone is used. For instance, AT&T’s “Smart Limits” lets you program how many texts can be sent and received, how much money can be spent per month on ringtones and Web browsing, and which numbers you child can dial out. It costs $4.99 per month on top of any calling plan you choose. Similar services are available from the other major carriers as well.

If you want to take your over-protectiveness to the next level (and you know you do) consider the Guardian Angel Cell Phone. With built-in GPS, the phone comes with a dedicated website that allows you to log-in and track your child’s every move. The company even claims that the phone can deliver real-time speed information, which is useful for parents of driving age children. Pre-paid cellular coverage is provided by Boost Mobile.

1. Desktop:  Notebooks and netbooks might have eclipsed the humble desktop in popularity but nothing beats the venerable technology in the price-for-performance category.

Dell’s Studio line of desktops include a copy of Microsoft Office Home and Student. The base model packs an Intel Dual Core 2.5GHz processor, 4GB of RAM memory, and a 500GB hard drive starting at $699.

If you’re a high-flying Mac family, the 20-inch iMac combines the desktop and monitor into a single, space saving package. The $1,119 base option includes a 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive.

Enjoy the school year!